


What Happened After Budapest

by smarshtastic



Category: Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Cuddling, F/M, Fluff, post-mission care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-25
Updated: 2012-11-25
Packaged: 2017-11-19 11:46:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/572922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smarshtastic/pseuds/smarshtastic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint and Natasha rarely get the time to act like civilians, but after a hard mission, that's all they want.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Happened After Budapest

Eventually, they managed to find a hotel that was still standing, far enough away from the center of town where most of the damage was. They were able to get a room with a balcony and a view of the river, even though some smoke was still billowing in the distance. Charged to their personal (fake) accounts, S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn’t be able to track them down for a few days – just enough time for the two of them to catch their breaths, relax. 

Clint stood on the balcony, still in uniform, watching the smoke rise from some of the buildings along the river. His ribs were aching from a bad fall, but he wasn’t bleeding any more – he probably didn’t need stitches after all. It was quiet here. He closed his eyes and let the breeze ruffle his hair. He could still smell the acrid scent of explosives, and his ears were ringing from the shock of the explosion. Clint could practically feel the rattle in his bones again, the heat of the explosion on his face – 

A hand on his shoulder startled him out of his revere. Instinctively, he grabbed the wrist from his shoulder, twisting it as he turned. Natasha barely winced, though his fingers were digging heard into her flesh. More bruises. They were both still wound up, on edge – she couldn’t blame him. 

“I draw a bath,” she said, not trying to pull away. His grip was strong and Nat knew better than to try. Clint blinked. 

“A bath?” he said, loosening his hand. He was having a hard time coming back from this one. Nat nodded. The tension in her face told Clint she was having a hard time of it too. 

“Yeah, I figured we could both use the time to relax.”

Clint nodded. “Sure – yeah.”

“Unless – well, you can go first, if you want. I need to find some ice…”

Clint blinked again, then shook his head. “No, no. Wait, can we both fit?”

Nat raised her eyebrows. “If you want.”

“Yeah, I do,” he said, looking down at the wrist in his hand. He rubbed his thumb over the fresh marks in her pale skin before bringing it up to his mouth to kiss, as if he could kiss away the marks. “C’mon.”

Nat slipped out of his grip and started to the bathroom, shedding her suit as she went. Clint trailed behind, watching her. She made slipping out of that skin tight combat suit look easy. Clumsily, he pulled off his own uniform, keeping his eyes on Nat as she stepped into the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothes in her wake. 

Clint leaned on the doorframe of the bathroom for support as he tugged off his boots. “Think we can fit?” he asked, eyeing the tub. Nat looked up, fingers trailing in the warm bathwater. 

“It’ll be a tight squeeze, but we’ve had worse,” she said, slipping into the water. She leaned forward to let Clint slip in behind her. He wrapped his arms around her loosely, resting his chin on her shoulder. He felt her wince – she must’ve pulled her shoulder when they fell – but she didn’t pull away. Together, they watched the blood and grime wash off their skin. 

“Okay?” he asked a few moments later. She nodded and relaxed back into him. This was the best part of finishing a mission – the quiet moments where they can put it all behind them, that was the best. They didn’t have to be agents here – alone, together they were just Clint and Nat. 

Clint reached over the side of the tub for a washcloth and dunked it in the water. He moved Nat’s hair off her shoulder to gently clean off her skin. 

“Your hair’s getting long,” he commented, fingers lingering over a long curl that hung down her back. Clint pushed her hair aside, saving that for later. 

“Mm, I was thinking of cutting it short,” she said, tilting her head to the side as he moved the washcloth over her neck. 

“I like it long,” Clint said. He ran the washcloth carefully over a cut in her upper arm. “Does this need stitches?” 

“Maybe later. It feels fine for now,” Nat said. Her eyes were closed and she was leaning her head back on his shoulder. Clint could still read the tension in her limbs, ready to spring, but his careful hand was soothing, familiar, safe. Soon, Nat was practically putty in Clint’s strong hands. He dropped a kiss to her shoulder. 

Tilting her head back, Clint wet her hair, fingers combing lightly through her curls. He found the little hotel shampoo bottles and lathered her hair, tenderly rubbing circles into her scalp. She loved this part the most – her scalp was one of her (few) weaknesses, and Clint’s very able hands knew exactly how to rub and scratch and pet in just the right way. He paid careful attention to detail too; not a spot was ever missed. 

“Your turn,” she said after he had rinsed her hair. Nat shifted forward to let Clint turn around so she could spoon up behind him. She grabbed another wash cloth and started giving Clint the same gentle treatment. He had a series of scratches on his arms – looked like road rash. Nat cleaned the scratches carefully, humming a little as she did so. She could feel Clint’s muscles relax under her hands while she worked. 

“’Sgood Nat,” Clint mumbled, drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his knees. He closed his own eyes and let Nat work her magic. The events of the day were starting to melt away, becoming less stable, less clear, less real. Nat’s small, nimble hands on his skin – that was real. He let a breath out. 

The water darkened with their blood and grime, a long time later, Nat finally unplugged the tub. 

“Towels?” 

Clint reached over the side of the tub and grabbed towels as Nat stood up. He bundled her up in a clean, fluffy towel, drying her off gently. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Go – get into bed. I’ll be right there,” Clint said, throwing a towel over his head. Nat lifted up the towel to give him a swift peck. 

“Don’t take too long.”

Clint nodded. Nat padded past him, toweling her hair dry as she went. She dropped the towel on the floor and slipped into the bed, the sheets cool and clean on her naked skin. She could almost fall asleep like this. Almost. 

Clint came out a few moments later, one of their medkits in hand. “You aren’t asleep already, are you?”

“Mm, almost,” she gave him a little smile over the edge of the blanket. Clint flopped on the bed next to her. 

“Lemme see your arm,” he said, waving the kit. Nat sat up again, trying to ignore the soreness that was already creeping into her body, and held out her arm. Clint took it carefully and examined the cut – deep, but it didn’t look like it needed stitches. He dug through the medkit to find the antiseptic wipes and bandages. 

“Are you Dr. Barton now?” Nat asked, watching him clean her arm with an intense look of concentration on his face.

“Ha ha, I could just let you bleed out,” Clint said, making a face at her. She tilted her head to the side, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. 

“You wouldn’t.”

“No, I wouldn’t. Tell me if this is too tight,” he said as he wrapped a length of gauze around her arm. 

“Do you need something for those scrapes?” 

“Nah.”

Clint leaned over the side of the bed to drop the medkit on the floor. Nat pulled back the blankets so that Clint could wiggle in next to her. He spooned up behind her, naked skin warm and comforting against her back, a pleasant contrast to the cool sheets that covered them. 

“Okay?” he asked, breath warm around her ear. She nodded. 

“Okay.” 

Clint kissed the back of her neck. “Get some sleep, Nat.”

Together they drifted off to sleep, just Clint and Nat spooned up close, just two civilians with a couple days off.

**Author's Note:**

> For my Yayney's birthday. matesprits 5ever~
> 
> edit: the porny sequel can be found [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/576070)


End file.
